Barack Obama has been spared the embarrassment of having one of his biggest supporters going on trial for child rape -- after his victim has gone missing.
In a devious scheme to avoid trial, Terry Bean's lawyers offered a massive cash payout to his victim.
But such a settlement agreement would be canceled if the matter went to trial, which was just days away, giving the victim reason to sabotage the trial.
So, in order to collect the cash, the victim has fled his own trial -- preventing the details of the matter from being revealed in court, as Democrats prepare for their National Convention.
The Washington Blade reports:
An Oregon judge earlier this month agreed to postpone the trial of prominent gay rights advocate and real estate developer Terry Bean after the teenager that authorities say Bean had sex with in 2013 when the youth was 15 has gone into hiding...
...In early July, attorneys representing Bean and the now 17-year-old youth informed the court that they had reached a civil agreement under Oregon law that allows them to petition the court to dismiss the criminal case against Bean. The law gives the judge presiding over the case the authority to accept or reject such a settlement request.
Although the terms of the agreement were presented to Lane County Circuit Court Judge Charles Zennache in a closed hearing and records of the agreement were sealed, most court observers believe the agreement includes a significant monetary payment from Bean to the 17-year-old.
But on July 16, Zennache denied the compromise proposal, prompting the 17-year-old and his mother to go into hiding. Knowing that they couldn’t benefit from the settlement agreement if the trial was held, the Oregonian and other media outlets reported that the 17-year-old and his mother made it clear to friends that their intent was to prevent the trial from happening and force the case against Bean to be dropped. Prosecutors could not obtain a conviction without the testimony by the alleged victim, who would be the lead witness against Bean.
In a court filing asking the judge to postpone Bean’s trial, which initially had been scheduled to begin on Aug. 11, prosecutor Healy said the 17-year-old and his mother stopped using their cell phones and credit cards in an effort to avoid being found.
State troopers have been unable to find the boy and his mother. Going into hiding for months on end, and avoiding authorities, would require a significant amount of cash.
Bean is the founder of numerous liberal organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
He is also one of the Democrat Party's and Barack Obama's biggest fundraisers, raising millions for Democrats candidates and causes and personally hosting fundraisers for Obama, Al Gore and Bill Clinton.
